Father Knows Best Season 2, Episode 34: Father, the Naturalist

Art of Salesmanship

Jim tries to encourage Bud to take after him in salesmanship.

30 min

Father's Private Life

Jim comes home tired one day and is harangued by the kids. So, he and Margaret set up new rules to give him some time to relax—but it ends up backfiring.

30 min

Lessons in Civics

A new highway is getting built, and for that the old community hall is going to be pulled down. That's something Jim wouldn't like to see since the hall is a historical monument, and also, memories from his youth are connected with this hall. Everyone from the family sees how much the hall means to Jim, and they use different ways to organize help.

30 min

First Disillusionment

Bud loses a job to a boy who fakes his resumé, which leads him to believe it is alright to do this himself

30 min

Woman in the House

Margaret is forced to invite a woman over who makes her uncomfortable because she is Jim's friend's wife.

30 min

New Girl at School

Bud learns that the girl he likes is dating his best friend.

30 min

Kathy Makes Magic

Kathy gets a new magic set, from a trade with a friend, and becomes convinced she can truly wield magic.

30 min

Advantage to Betty

Betty has recently taken up tennis at school and is chosen for a photo shoot for the paper. This causes friction between her and her doubles partner, Eula, who is the team’s best player.

30 min

The Big Test

Bud is accused of cheating because he is suddenly getting high grades in class.

30 min

Father Is a Dope

After commenting on a sitcom (“Father Does It Again”) the family watches together one night, Jim speaks about how TV fathers are often portrayed as dumb in comparison with their families. Later, he plans on going hunting and starts believing that Margaret and the kids are secretly trying to get him to stay.

30 min

Spirit of Youth

When Jim gets an invitation to a dance for his class reunion—class of ‘33—the kids start behaving as if their parents are ancient. Then, when the kids at their alma mater treat them the same, Jim and Margaret deal with the thought of getting older.

30 min

Bud, the Ladykiller

Bud gets irritated by a girl (whom he refers to as “Dumb Dora”) who has a crush on him, hurts her feelings when his irritation leads to cruelty, and must make amends.

30 min

Margaret's Premonition

Margaret has a premonition of danger for Jim’s upcoming business trip, and tries to get Jim to postpone it. But Jim believes it’s a bunch of superstitious nonsense, and insists on going anyway.

30 min

Stage to Yuma

Tate Idsen saves a stagecoach from savage Indians in a flashback sequence.

30 min

Bad Influence

Bud gets in trouble when his latest friend turns out to be a kleptomaniac.

30 min

Betty Hates Carter

Betty is indignant when Jim arranges a date for her with an old insurance salesman buddy’s son, Carter.

30 min

Jim, the Tyrant

Jim comes home early from work, after a long, hard day, and expects to gain comfort from his family, but is quickly disillusioned when they all are too absorbed in their own interests and tasks to pay attention to him. This just makes his mood more sour and he declares at dinner that if he must, he will become a tyrant. This leads to unwelcome consequences.

30 min

Betty's Brother

Bud is having trouble in school and the family are hard-pressed to find out why. Eventually, Jim and Margaret come to the conclusion that, since he’s entered high school, he’s lost his confidence over being constantly compared to Betty and her accomplishments.

30 min

Betty Earns a Formal

Betty gets a job to pay for a new, expensive formal for the Cinderella Ball at the country club.

30 min

The House Painter

Jim has a bet with Betty and Margaret concerning human nature, integrity and the man painting their house—Mr. Everett.

30 min

Bud, the Wallflower

Bud seems determined not to go to a Senior/Freshman dance that is Sadie Hawkins-themed.

30 min

The Bus to Nowhere

Betty becomes irritable with her family as she goes through an existential crisis.

30 min

Kathy, the Indian Giver

Kathy is taught about fair trading from her father—and ends up trading her doll for a real baby.

30 min

The Historical Andersons

When Bud receives an assignment to write a term paper about a Revolutionary War hero, he ends up researching the life of a relative—Major Nathaniel Oliver Anderson.

30 min

The Grass is Greener

Jim’s old college friend, Charlie Bradley, a successful industrial tycoon, is in town. Charlie, along with Jim, were a part of a group known as The Four Musketeers, in college. Of the four, Jim appears to be the least ‘successful.’

30 min

The Persistent Guest

Bud’s new friend, Fred, won't leave the Anderson house.

30 min

Family Reunion

The family tries to think up excuses to keep from going to Margaret's family reunion.

30 min

Family Dines Out

Betty tells a wealthy friend, Eloise Sanders, that she’s going to a charity dinner at a club. But it’s expensive and she hasn’t asked her father, yet.

30 min

Bud, the Boxer

Bud gets in a tussle with a boy, Eddie, at school, then dreads facing him the next day because the kid wants to fight him. Jim makes Bud face him in a boxing ring to settle it, knowing that Bud will have to face Eddie, eventually. Later, Jim has Bud take boxing lessons.

30 min

Betty, Girl Engineer

Betty takes a vocational guidance course and signs up to get practical experience to become an engineer, but she gets a lot of flack for it because she’s a girl.

30 min

The Martins and the Coys

Jim and a family friend, Frank, fight over an insurance claim and dissolve their friendship over it. Betty and his son, Bob, are dating and this affects them, too.

30 min

Dilemma for Margaret

Margaret is asked to represent her branch of the PTA by giving a speech, but later decides against doing so because of some mischief Betty gets into.

30 min

Hero Father

Former baseball star Duke Snider appears in this episode. Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray, Lauren Chapin. Sandy: Tommy Ivo. Bramer: Kenneth Tobey. Kippy: Paul Wallace.

30 min

The Ten Dollar Question

Jim makes a bet: the kid who doesn't tattle for one week will receive ten dollars.

30 min

Adopted Daughter

Kathy finds a receipt for $25 from the adoption center and believes she was adopted.

30 min

Betty's Graduation

30 min